The invention relates to an igniter for a projectile to be fired out of a barrel with twist, comprising an ignition chain triggering an active effect.
Such projectiles have an ignition chain consisting e.g. of several pyrotechnical charges for triggering an active effect and are provided with a safety device that interrupts the ignition chain in a first position and, upon the firing of the projectile, passes over from this first position into a second position releasing the ignition chain due to the initial acceleration of the projectile and/or its twist. Thus, it is excluded that all components of the ignition chain are ignited although the projectile is in rest, e.g. still in the barrel.
An igniter for projectiles is known from DE-A1-20 37 182, which comprises a safety device with disk-shaped elements, e.g. a plastically deformable plate. This plate is disposed between a body containing the ignition composition and that part of the projectile that contains an opening leading to the charge to be ignited. It is to be prevented with this arrangement that, in the case of an unintentional igniting of the primer, in the safety position of the body receiving it, the charge of explosives of the projectile is ignited. In the case of an unintentional igniting of the primer, the hot explosion gases impact on the plastically deformable plate at a high pressure, whereby it is deformed and firmly pressed into the parting lines between the carrier for the primer and the parts receiving it so that the hot explosion gases reach the opening leading to the charge of explosives.
Such projectiles are also used as so-called irritation ammunition, e.g. for surprising criminals or for fighting violent demonstrators. This irritation ammunition is derived from live ammunition and is e.g. a cartridge ammunition with a 40 mm caliber. CS, tear gas, smoke, star-generating charges, flash charges, etc. are e.g. used as active effects. This irritation ammunition comprises an impact igniter that ignites the active effect upon impact. Should this igniter not function for once, it must be ensured that the active effect is nevertheless triggered at least after a certain period of time or is self-disintegrating in order to make the safe removal of the irritation ammunition possible. For this purpose, an additional safety igniter with an ignition chain is provided that consists of at least one igniter ignited upon the firing of the irritation projectile and at least a further charge, in particular a delayed-action charge, through which, after its burn-up, the actual active charge is ignited, for instance, through safety fuses or booster charges approximately four second after the firing.
Mostly, such irritation ammunition is fired out of short-barrel weapons and/or short revolving magazines. The magazine is usually covered by a disk in magazine weapons, which only releases the cartridge to be actually fired, whereas all other magazine barrels are covered by the disk.
If the propelling charge is not ignited upon the attempted firing of the irritation ammunition, it may happen that the delayed-action charge for the safety igniter is nevertheless ignited, e.g. by a too weak propelling charge or by the priming cap alone. Since, now, the irritation ammunition does not leave the barrel of the firing weapon, be it a normal barrel weapon or a magazine weapon, the active effect is triggered after the predetermined delay time of about 4 seconds. This may be connected with a high risk of injury for persons loitering about or the firer him- or herself, in particular if a magazine weapon is used. As soon as a shot is triggered, the magazine revolver is further rotated by one position although the projectile does not leave the magazine, so that the magazine barrel in which the cartridge ammunition with burning off delayed-action igniting chain is located is closed at the front. If then, after the predetermined delay time, the active effect is triggered, such as the releasing of tear gas, it can practically only exit towards the rear in the direction of the firer so that a high risk of injury is given for him or her.